OOTP Braves Hot Start

The year is 2019 and we are ten games into this incredibly young season, but that hasn’t stopped me from rejoicing in the success that we have created thus far. It is jaw-dropping to think that we are 9-1 and our offense has been producing and sitting near the top in production for the NL. We are seeing offensive numbers that are just unexpected but greatly appreciated! Didi Gregorius, Freddie Freeman, Ramiel Tapia, Jose Peraza, and Ender Inciarte are all starters that are hitting over .300 so far. In the past, we are typically in the bottom third for home runs as a team but this season we have a whopping 13 in this ten game span. The biggest change from years past is that we are almost doubling our runs scored vs the number of runs against us: 63 to 35. This is where I see our great success. In the past, we have always been a pitching and fielding team first. The squad that was built for this season is a representation of this. Gregorius, Peraza, and Inciarte I believe are blowing past the expected offensive results I had for them and this, in turn, has helped anchor the other strong hitters we have in the lineup. As of now, the weak spot has been the starting pitching. In the past we see the Braves starting pitching as one of the strongest cores of the NL. Every year since I took over in 2015 I have strived, and believed I have succeeded, in placing a strong rotation out there for the competition. This year we are seeing a rotation that doesn’t house that true ace (Jordan Jankowski) like we have had the years before. Even without a Jankowski in our rotation, we still see pitchers like Taylor Jordan, Tom Windle, and Kendell Graveman holding their own. Matt Wisler and Smoral have had a slow start so far but we are only two starts into the season; all can change. As for the relievers, we are now sporting the top bullpen in the nation. We are firing on all cylinders! On a side note, we saw Yeralf Torres with his first big league start this week. He went 5.1 strong innings with six hits, six strikeouts, and zero walks while giving up three runs to achieve his first major league win. Along with the win he also had his first major league hit!  This season is indeed very young, but the front office is loving the direction that we see this organization really going in. It is very exciting to have the full season minor league teams start this week! We have our eyes on a few prospects this season to see how they look for a potential call up this season or possibly make the opening day roster in 2020. The names to keep your eyes on are Don Jones, Joaquin Baker, Jorge Llerena, and potential Zach Jadofsky, if the stars align! So, let us keep this streak up and continue to chop our way through the competition!